Finding and hiring employees is a task that impacts most modern businesses. It is important for an employer to find employees that “fit” open positions. The processes associated with finding employees that fit well can be expensive and time consuming for an employer. Such processes can include evaluating numerous resumes and cover letters, telephone interviews with candidates, in-person interviews with candidates, drug testing, skill testing, sending rejection letters, offer negotiation, training new employees, etc. A single employee candidate can be very costly in terms of man-hours needed to evaluate and interact with the candidate before the candidate is hired.
Computers and computing systems can be used to automate some of these activities. For example, many businesses now have on-line recruiting tools that facilitate job postings, resume submissions, preliminary evaluations, etc. Additionally, some computing systems include functionality for allowing candidates to participate in “virtual” on-line interviews.
The job of interviewers and candidate reviewers is to determine if candidates are skilled and have the qualifications required for a particular job. In the process of doing this, they ideally compare and contrast the qualifications of candidates. Over the years there have been numerous documented instances in which candidates have been selected based on qualities or characteristics other than the skills and qualifications required for a particular job. In the Unites States and other jurisdictions across the world, when candidates are chosen on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or other categories that are protected to some degree by law, penalties may be imposed on entities for such practices. The penalties may be financial and may also include requirements for monitoring of hiring practices to ensure violations are not repeated. Additionally, when candidates are selected based on non-work related characteristics, the best candidates for the position may be overlooked, such that the quality of an entity's workforce is compromised. While efforts have been made in the past to avoid discriminatory practices in hiring, these efforts have not been entirely satisfactory.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.
Some aspects of these figures may be better understood by reference to the following Detailed Description.